This article describes other public health systems in the world that have publicly shifted towards integrating complementary medicine, and in particular homeopathy.
In spite of what you may hear in the British mainstream media, homeopathy is a modern medical system that can be used alongside a conventional public system. It has strong practical and scientific roots, and provides health benefits at a better value than the current NHS approach.
Ultimately, your health is your own responsibility, not your health practitioner’s. You can decide to blindly trust your GP, your homeopath, or any other practitioners, but this will not be to your benefit. Always, research and be inquisitive, as this is the only way to bring back health into your life, and no need to stress, health is one’s most important asset.
Let us look at India, Asia and Africa
It is estimated that between 120 and 500 million Indians use homeopathy as a primary source of healthcare every year. The disparity of this number is due to the fact that a great range of Indian doctors use a combination of conventional, homeopathic and Ayurvedic medicine. Homeopathy is however now the main choice for the affluent Indian urban middle class.
The Indian government has heavily promoted the use and education of homeopathy. As pointed in this article, it has been used by public health authorities for dengue fever epidemic campaign.
I would like to stress that the life expectancy of a middle-class Indian living in Mumbai today is similar to the average British, but that his healthcare cost would be about 10% of what the NHS costs us (about £3,200 a year per people in employment).
Other countries have followed India’s example, with Pakistan and South Africa heavily investing in Homeopathy. Countries like Nepal, Ghana and Botswana have also set up rural health support programmes based on homeopathy.
Switzerland, a country with a reputation for probity, strict rationalism and a keen focus on value-for-money, backs homeopathy.
It had been a shock for some public figures who favour an “all chemical drugs approach to health” when Switzerland decided that homeopathy should be re-instated, taught and covered by the national health system.
To give you some background, a few years ago, the Swiss pharmaceutical regulatory body unilaterally decided that homeopathy should not be covered and prescribed by Swiss GPs. They used a study published by the Lancet in 2005 to claim that homeopathy had no medical evidence.
This led to a public outcry as well as a revolt by Swiss practicing doctors, who have long been supporting complementary medicine. The Swiss government decided to conduct a 3-year review. Following the evidence, it has overwhelmingly backed public spending in homeopathy, and actually requested that Medical Universities teach it. The report criticised the Lancet study as heavily biased and not methodical and actually complimented the quality of the medical evidence backing homeopathy.
They acknowledged that homeopathy was an effective and cheaper approach than conventional medicine. It also pointed that it had generally no side-effects.
It is a pity that no British mainstream media have covered this positive news about homeopathy.
France, Germany and the rest of mainland Europe
France and Germany have been the main public supporters of homeopathy. Over the last 10 years, they have requested that homeopathic medicine follow the same regulatory standards as conventional drugs. For this reason, most of the medical evidence surrounding homeopathy have come from these two countries.
For example, and this was well covered in the media of these countries, in November 2012, the French equivalent to the NHS has conducted a double-blind study of a homeopathic medication prescribed for hot flush and menopausal issues. It has shown that it is effective, 80% cheaper than the conventional HRT therapies, and that most users do not experience any side-effects. Given the health issues caused by HRT, the French authorities have suggested to promote it more widely.
Click here for more positive evidence on homeopathy.
Wishes of good Health to you and your Family.
Thierry Clerc, MARH, RHom, MSc
Registered Health Practitioner
Clinical Homeopathy, Bioresonance, Nutrition & Allergy